Thursday, March 03, 2005

"Some days, I don't like them very much."

One of my field ed parishes runs an ongoing food pantry. It's not very formal. A closet across from the chapel is kept stocked with canned goods and nonperishables. During regular office hours, whenever someone rings the bell and asks, the secretary will load up a grocery sack and hand it out. Anyone can come by, as often as once a week-- no ID necessary, no questions asked.

The secretary's been doing this as long as she's been there-- several years now. She recognizes faces, and knows the names of some of the regulars. She even has a sense for when the need will be heavier, and so some days she'll pre-pack a few sacks and have them ready on the floor in her office, waiting.

On Tuesday, a couple of the clients were difficult-- bickering with one another, and trying her patience. She handled the situation very well, and with practical grace; but after they left, she turned to me and made the statement in the title, rather shamefacedly.

"It's okay. You don't have to." I replied. That surprised her-- I got a wide-eyed look, and a nervous laugh. So I tried to explain.

"I mean it. We are called as Christians to love them: to treat everyone we meet with respect and kindness; to be willing to listen and learn; to help one another, and to share what we have in the name of the Lord. But nowhere does it say that we have to like their behavior."